What year should children start school? We asked the experts

‘Children effectively attending for an additional year (the year they turn five) will only benefit if the service they are attending is providing quality early learning.’ Photograph: Alan Porritt/AAP

On Tuesday the New South Wales education minister, Sarah Mitchell, said lifting the school starting age to the year a child turns six would reduce large age gaps and put students on a more equal footing. It follows an announcement in June that NSW and Victoria would overhaul the early education sector, effectively adding an extra year. Four experts explain the advantages and challenges of such changes:

‘Affordability remains a key barrier’